About Avatars of Vishnu in hinduism

1. 1
In Hinduism, the word ‘avatar’ means ‘descent’, that is deliberate descent of a deity on earth. It
is a descent of a deity on earth for example, Lord Vishnu for Vaishnavites. Vishnu is said to
descend in form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. A passage from the Bhagavad Gita
describes the typical role of an avatar of Vishnu- to establish dharma, or righteousness Lord
Vishnu incarnates:
1. To protect his devotees as well as innocent and saintly persons.
2. To punish evil-doers and eradicate evil from society.
3. To establish law and order ‘dharma sthapna’.
4. To live among men thus giving them his example how to lie in society
The ten most popular Avartaras of Vishnu are collectively known as the Dasavatara.
The list of the avatars varies across sects and regions. The standard lists are given below:
1. Matsya (the fish)
2. Koorma (the tortoise)
3. Varaha (the boar)
4. Narasimha (the human-lion)
5. Vamana (the dwarf)
6. Parasurama (the angry man, Rama
with an axe)
7. Lord Rama (the perfect man, king
of Ayodha)
8. Lord Krishna (the divine
statesman)
9. Buddha
10. Kalki (the mighty warrior)

2. 2
Matsya is said to be the first avatar of Vishnu. He is a fish (or
sometimes depicted as half man and half fish like a mermaid). He is
said to have rescued the first man from a flood in a story that seems to
have influenced the Noah flood story (or, perhaps more likely, both
stories were influenced by a common source). Matsya is associated
with the beginning of the world.
Koorma is the second avatar of Vishnu. This embodiment was a
turtle. This incarnation is associated with the very famous churning
of the ocean story. While the devas and asuras were churning the
ocean for the nectar of immorality, the mountain they were using
began to sink in the soft ocean floor, so Vishnu became a turtle and
rested the mountain on his back.

3. 3
Varaha is the third avatar. This embodiment was as a gigantic boar.
His lover is the Earth herself (Bhudevi). The story goes that the
universe was full of primordial waters and the earth was small and lost
in it. Varaha dove in and rescued, then married her.
Narasimha, the fourth avatar, is half man and half lion (note the
second part of his name “simha” means “lion.”) He is known as
the Great Protector, protecting devotees who are in need. He is
the manifestation of divine anger. His main story is from when a
demon is upset that his son worships Vishnu and Vishnu takes
this form to protect the son. Because the demon had a boon
listing a great many things that could not kill him, this form that
is neither man nor animal was created. (The weapon Pashupata
first makes an appearance in this story. It will become an
important part of The Mahabharata plot).

4. 4
Vamana, the fifth avatar, is the first fully human one. He is
often portrayed as a little person and is sometimes called “the
dwarf avatar.” The Bhagavata Purana describes that Vishnu
descended as the Vamana avatar to restore the authority of
Indra over the heavens, as it had been taken by Mahabali, a
benevolent Asura King
Parashurama is the sixth avatar. He is an avatar of Vishnu,
a descendant of Brahma, and a student of Shiva! He was a
guru to Bishma, Drona, and Karna (key characters in The
Mahabharata). Parashurama is an immortal and, as such, he
was alive during several other incarnations of Vishnu
(including Krishna and Rama).

5. 5
Rama is the seventh avatar. He is often considered the perfect man.
His devotion to and respect for his father is highly praised. The story of
the Ramayana is pretty well known around the world and the story of
Rama’s wife, Sita, kidnapped by a demon and rescued by Rama and
monkey servant, Hanuman. Rama is one of the best known of the
avatars and there’s a lot to be said about him. More than I could fit
here!
Krishna is the eight avatar. He is no doubt the most well
known. Krishna holds the distinction of having delivered one
of the most beloved texts in Hindu scripture: The Bhagavad
Gita (The Song of the Lord). It describes how to free one’s self
from the prison of endless cycles of life and death. Krishna is a
fascinating figure, worth studying much closer. His life is
often broken into different segments. Some focus worship on
his child form when he was known as a cute and mischievous
butter lover. He was born to overthrow an evil king and was
killing demons when he was a toddler. Some focus on
Krishna’s teenage years when he was fawned over by lots of
young women, the gopis (cow herding girls). His flute would
melt their hearts. Several poets have written love songs to
Krishna in this stage. In his later life as a king, Krishna was a
key figure in The Mahabharata, guiding the Pandava brothers
and it was during that time that he spoke the Gita.

6. 6
Buddha is thought to be the ninth avatar by some. (Some others
believe Krishna’s brother Balarama was the ninth avatar). Buddha
was originally a Hindu prince named Siddhartha. Several Hindu
texts refer to a buddha, but they may refer to different people as the
word means “enlightened one.” Some say that Vishnu came in the
form of Buddha to change the Hindu traditions around animal
sacrifice, making new rules for a new age.
Kalki, the last avatar, has not happened yet. It is said that he will
appear at the end of the Kali Yuga (the last age, which we are
currently in) to herald the end of the world (rather, the world will
become unmanifest until it all starts over again). Interestingly, he
is a horseman, riding in on a white horse with a blazing sword to
destroy the darkness of the last age.